Marvel's The Punisher

:

Season 1
  • Network: Netflix
  • Series Premiere Date: Nov 17, 2017
Season #: 2, 1
User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 821 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 697 out of 821
  2. Mixed: 36 out of 821
  3. Negative: 88 out of 821
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  1. pdesaab07
    Nov 24, 2017
    8
    Don't listen to the critics. The show is good. All the cast is well picked. The spirit of the comic is there. The story holds. It could have been 10 episodes for a faster pace. I hope for a second season.
  2. MeiLongDong
    May 28, 2019
    8
    I'll sum my up opinion and review the best I can. If you're a fan of John Wick then this is probably your cup of tea. The atmosphere is John Wick like, but just way better imo. Where John Wick is a fun shoot em up/bullet ballet, Punisher is a slow burn but a good one. I was hooked from episode one. The best games I've played and the best movies I've watched have always hooked me in fromI'll sum my up opinion and review the best I can. If you're a fan of John Wick then this is probably your cup of tea. The atmosphere is John Wick like, but just way better imo. Where John Wick is a fun shoot em up/bullet ballet, Punisher is a slow burn but a good one. I was hooked from episode one. The best games I've played and the best movies I've watched have always hooked me in from the start and I couldn't stop till I finished it I couldn't get through one episode of Iron Fist, but this grabbed my attention and held it to the end. 13 episodes went by and it felt like a movie. It's better than any cop show or detective CSI crap I've ever seen. Good writing, characters you care about, and an overall feel that passion went into this.

    BTW The original critic score of 7.8 was more fair and accurate than the current 5.4. No way. It deserves better.    … Expand
  3. GamerJosh0137
    Feb 5, 2018
    8
    I was shocked to see some of the low critic scores. No doubt some of them have valid arguments but MOST of their critiques are what I love about The Punisher. Where some of them felt the first few episodes were boring I saw an exciting build up. I think they did a fabulous job of telling somewhat of a back story without so much exposition. I WITHOUT A DOUBT believe this a much betterI was shocked to see some of the low critic scores. No doubt some of them have valid arguments but MOST of their critiques are what I love about The Punisher. Where some of them felt the first few episodes were boring I saw an exciting build up. I think they did a fabulous job of telling somewhat of a back story without so much exposition. I WITHOUT A DOUBT believe this a much better story telling than the John Travolta Punisher :-) I had fun watching, and one of the FEW shows I enjoyed watching season 1 episode 1.… Expand
  4. Injun
    Nov 18, 2017
    8
    I'm not a Marvel fanatic or knew that much about the Punisher. Only knew stuff from when he appeared in the Daredevil series. It was probably some of the better episodes of that he was in as shortly after I realised how crap Daredevil was and stopped watching.
    Overall I like the dark gritty depiction of the Punisher and of people struggling with mental illness. Makes a refreshing change    I'm not a Marvel fanatic or knew that much about the Punisher. Only knew stuff from when he appeared in the Daredevil series. It was probably some of the better episodes of that he was in as shortly after I realised how crap Daredevil was and stopped watching.
    Overall I like the dark gritty depiction of the Punisher and of people struggling with mental illness. Makes a refreshing change from the samey, touchy feely Marvel TV shoes they keep spamming out.    … Expand
  5. GunnerMcDagget
    Nov 19, 2017
    8
    The Punisher is a breath of fresh air after The Defenders and Iron Fist. It's back to the gritty dark story that made Daredevil and Jessica Jones so good. John Bernthal's portrayal of The Punisher is brilliant. Amber Rose Revah and Ebon Moss-Bachrach provide equally compelling performances as the support. The story is an interesting mix of spy game and conspiracy which can be forgiven forThe Punisher is a breath of fresh air after The Defenders and Iron Fist. It's back to the gritty dark story that made Daredevil and Jessica Jones so good. John Bernthal's portrayal of The Punisher is brilliant. Amber Rose Revah and Ebon Moss-Bachrach provide equally compelling performances as the support. The story is an interesting mix of spy game and conspiracy which can be forgiven for being a little too cliche.

    My only real gripe is the amount of episodes. There is a lot of filler here, and much like the filler found in Iron Fist and Luke Cage, it feels pointless. It seems like the extra things have been thrown in to drag out the series rather than to add to the story. This lets down an otherwise excellent show. It would have benefited from a much shorter 4-6 episode series.    … Expand
  6. alejandro970
    Dec 31, 2017
    8
    Altough it does´nt have the dinamics of Daredevil of The defenders, it´s thankful to see in the 13 chapters the personality that lacks the previous screenplays (1989, 2004, 2008). One more think you can appreciate is the final act with no spoilers or clues for next season.
  7. TheSpideyReview
    Dec 17, 2017
    8
    Simple, Straightforward, and Tense. Instead of wasting time on the Punisher's Revenge storyline, they talk about Frank Castle's military past catching up to him.
  8. Dirk2112
    Nov 19, 2017
    8
    Ok in the plus column ... It wisely avoids both virtually any hint of death wish territory and an inevitably repetitive vs the mafia plot line. It looks great, so NYC-e that it had me me wondering anew how Iron Fist managed to make the city look like Toronto and action beats are generally suitably vivid and visceral. The leads are excellent, as are most of the supporting players, likeOk in the plus column ... It wisely avoids both virtually any hint of death wish territory and an inevitably repetitive vs the mafia plot line. It looks great, so NYC-e that it had me me wondering anew how Iron Fist managed to make the city look like Toronto and action beats are generally suitably vivid and visceral. The leads are excellent, as are most of the supporting players, like Deborah Ann Woll has never been better and Daniel Webber might deliver in Emmy worthy fashion. It also solves the B plot problem that's hurt other marvel shows. It has just enough story for its 13 eps ... not three eps too little like Jessica Jones or three too much like Daredevil season 2. In the negative ... It could literally use a little more skull and lacks a big bad who's up to the scenery chewing of David Tenant, Vincent D'Onofrio or Mahershala Ali. Though I'm not sure it really wanted to have one. The Punisher's inherently problematic and a lot of that's here but this handles him about as well as he could be.… Expand
  9. Theninjew
    Nov 20, 2017
    8
    I have been a punisher fan for most of my life, and am thrilled to see him getting another shot at the screen. But like many other viewers, I think that there's just not enough material to fill in the 13 hours. If they'd condensed the entire season into the first 6 episodes, and set up a classic Frank vs. The Mob story arc in the 2nd half, it would have felt right. Bernthal isI have been a punisher fan for most of my life, and am thrilled to see him getting another shot at the screen. But like many other viewers, I think that there's just not enough material to fill in the 13 hours. If they'd condensed the entire season into the first 6 episodes, and set up a classic Frank vs. The Mob story arc in the 2nd half, it would have felt right. Bernthal is unbelievable, and so is Micro, but it's the writing that stagnates. There's so much artificial, unnecessary drama injected into the series just to fill the time that it borders on pulp TV territory. We could do with a few more 'Frank Castle vs. 100 people in 5 minutes' sequences just to remind us that he's actually The Punisher.… Expand
  10. JUANES4422
    Nov 20, 2017
    8
    The Punisher is the best of MARVEL on Netflix from Daredevil.
    One Batch, Two Batch, Penny And Dime is back and like never before.
    The serie could have had a duration of eight chapters or ten at the most, because there are many chapters that are left over and do not have a direct end with the plot in general. But these chapters go unnoticed by the scenes in which Frank Castle comes into    The Punisher is the best of MARVEL on Netflix from Daredevil.
    One Batch, Two Batch, Penny And Dime is back and like never before.
    The serie could have had a duration of eight chapters or ten at the most, because there are many chapters that are left over and do not have a direct end with the plot in general. But these chapters go unnoticed by the scenes in which Frank Castle comes into action, the mere presence of the character gives a feeling of euphoria and joy.
    John Bernthal makes a performance equal or superior to the view in DD season 2, his scenic skills and his character is what undoubtedly saves the series.
    There are chapters in which the plot gets stuck and can not continue to develop, but once it is achieved it is wonderful and you look forward to knowing more.
    The series is unstable in the aspect of plots, while they show you the events of secondary characters that stop the displacement of the story, suddenly they return to the main character and make a breakthrough that rewards everything you expected to see it.
    The action scenes are great, the violence is explicit, touches on deep issues about war, trauma, death and justice. Just everything you expected from a series of this vigilante.

    Score: 8.4/1.0    … Expand
  11. Wraithpk
    Nov 19, 2017
    8
    If you like The Punisher, you're going to like this show. There's plenty of brutal Punisher action in this one. Beyond that, there's some interesting intrigue, a few heart-breaking moments, and even some comedic bits that lightened the mood at times. The best part of the show, however, is how they portray the making of a domestic terrorist with one of the characters. I thought that wasIf you like The Punisher, you're going to like this show. There's plenty of brutal Punisher action in this one. Beyond that, there's some interesting intrigue, a few heart-breaking moments, and even some comedic bits that lightened the mood at times. The best part of the show, however, is how they portray the making of a domestic terrorist with one of the characters. I thought that was a really interesting look into the psyche of a troubled vet, and how someone can get caught in the downward spiral like that.

    I would say this isn't as good as Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, or Daredevil, but better than Iron Fist.    … Expand
  12. DKStrohl
    Nov 24, 2017
    8
    Other than Jessica Jones, this is the best Marvel adaption Netflix has done. Jon Bernthal (Frank Castle) is great in everything he does, and is fantastic as the Punisher. Is it a great show? No, but its really fun and entertaining.
  13. Apopros
    Mar 8, 2018
    8
    The Punisher es verdaderamente una serie intensa. Desde su trama oscura y sin ascos es capaz de contar una historia de venganza, traición y dolor sin tapujos ni problemas. Si lo tuyo es la acción entonces esta es tu serie. Sin embargo existen puntos flacos que amortiguan lo explicito de la serie. Jon Bernthal es un Punisher ideal que recrea al nuestro personaje favorito con todas las de laThe Punisher es verdaderamente una serie intensa. Desde su trama oscura y sin ascos es capaz de contar una historia de venganza, traición y dolor sin tapujos ni problemas. Si lo tuyo es la acción entonces esta es tu serie. Sin embargo existen puntos flacos que amortiguan lo explicito de la serie. Jon Bernthal es un Punisher ideal que recrea al nuestro personaje favorito con todas las de la ley; Frio, calculador y vengativo con su cuota consciente y sentimental que le dan una credibilidad al personaje excepcional. Si bien la retorica de Jon (The Punisher) es sencilla y no tan compleja, calza de manera excepcional en como nos imaginamos al personaje de Frank Castle; Lamentablemente es esto mismo lo que hace que, en un principio, no permita hilar de manera correcta la trama con la actuación. Sin lugar a dudas Jon Bernthal sobrepaso a la trama en las primeras iteraciones, pero que no los engañen, The Punisher es una serie intensa, de momentos memorables y definitivamente, una de las mejores adaptaciones de un personaje de comic despues de The Dark Knight de C.N. Recomendada… Expand
  14. GarethB
    Oct 21, 2018
    8
    I really enjoyed this series, it went deep into franks past and successfully showed the conflict within him. Some people complain there's not enough action, but the mix of tension, action and plot are just right for me.
  15. geewah
    Jan 6, 2021
    8
    A brutal and entertaining show that stays true to the vigilante come anti-hero comic book.
  16. Kenmei
    Dec 5, 2017
    7
    While the Punisher has easily been the best part of the MCU on Netflix universe IMO, it was always a question whether he could carry a feature length series on his own. And Bernthal does as best as he can with the natural limits on his character here. He's still the best reason to come back and watch a Marvel Netflix show at this point. However the story doesn't do him any favors, norWhile the Punisher has easily been the best part of the MCU on Netflix universe IMO, it was always a question whether he could carry a feature length series on his own. And Bernthal does as best as he can with the natural limits on his character here. He's still the best reason to come back and watch a Marvel Netflix show at this point. However the story doesn't do him any favors, nor anyone else in the cast. With continuity holes throughout the entire show to the other Netflix shows, plus some extremely telegraphed tropes, it became SUPER obvious what would happen very early on in the show. That's not to take away from the performances of the surrounding cast here as it was prob some of the best I've seen from a show like this. The Punishers future is up in the air right now in regards to how he'll be handled from here on out. Jon Bernthal is still at his best when he's just being a super badass like he should be. They showed his character was not meant to carry a longer script however. He's best suited for a side role for another hero to bring out the best in them, like he was in Daredevil. That's how I hope they can utilize him in the future.… Expand
  17. marcmyworks
    Mar 28, 2018
    7
    Critics are far too hard on this series. Yes it does take a couple of episode to get into and yes, the sheer of violence sometimes is to the point of ridiculous, but overall it is a strong show with a strong message of how war can affect an individual. My one complaint is Marvel TV tends to slow build a characters back story so much that sometimes the pay off isn't as good as it could be.
  18. Mediawatcher
    Nov 21, 2017
    7
    Overall, a solid season, nothing spectacular but definitely a step in the right direction for Netflix, let’s hope that when season 2 gets green lit it’ll be better. There wasn’t as much action as you would expect, keep that in mind when you watch
  19. Elbobbo
    Nov 22, 2017
    7
    The character of the Punisher was introduced to the Marvel TV universe in 2016, during Daredevil’s second season—following three live-action films that failed to make him popular with mainstream audiences in 1989, 2004, and 2008, respectively.

    What made The Punisher so interesting in Netflix’s Daredevil was his antithetical nature to The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. While both characters    The character of the Punisher was introduced to the Marvel TV universe in 2016, during Daredevil’s second season—following three live-action films that failed to make him popular with mainstream audiences in 1989, 2004, and 2008, respectively.

    What made The Punisher so interesting in Netflix’s Daredevil was his antithetical nature to The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. While both characters had the same goal in mind - to rid Hell’s Kitchen of criminals - they had very different ways of going about it. As played by Jon Bernthal, Daredevil’s Punisher makes his intentions very clear from the start.

    Initially, in Daredevil, when gangsters are first being murdered all over the city, he’s mistaken for a paramilitary organization with exceptional force, but it turns out that he’s just one man, with a lot of weapons and an extraordinarily deadly aim.

    Punisher opens with Frank castle finishing of his “mission” from Daredevil after his beautiful wife and two innocent young children — gunned down when unexpectedly caught in the crossfire of a gang war in Central Park, shortly after he was discharged from serving in a mysterious black ops mission in Afghanistan—as a member of “Operation Cerebrus,” a group one soldier says has a reputation for being “the American Taliban.”

    In response, Frank, himself a former decorated Marine, committed himself to a one-man war against all crime in New York City… but in particular, the three gangs involved in that fateful shootout: the Irish, the bikers, and the cartel.

    The Punisher was a harbinger of a brutal era in comics, where heroes toting massive machine guns were suddenly the norm and the death’s-head logo emblazoned on his costume became a ubiquitous cultural symbol.

    Punisher opens with Castle finishing his crusade and then burning his regalia, you could almost say the fire represented his rebirth back into Frank Castle as he leaves that life of the vengeful Punisher behind.

    For Netflix, Frank Castle is that harbinger of death once again. Frank Castle, is the archetypal character of the retributive anti hero – one who makes his own rules and follows his own conscience – is a familiar figure in mass culture, appearing in film, television, video games, and comics. This character represents the frustrations of millions of people who feel powerless and who fantasize about striking back at their enemies, be they real or imagined.

    With all of Marvel’s works the Punisher follows the strict formula that Marvel has in place. The same style and themes creeps into every Marvel movie can be found within the Marvel television shows. And while this works in terms of getting audience and making money, it’s becoming stale and it’s not innovative anymore.

    The thing that has been lacking in both the Marvel cinematic universe and the Marvel televisions shows is the lack of an interesting villain. And that’s what's missing from the Punisher. What set Daredevil season one apart from subsequent shows was the dynamic that Vincent D'Onofrio brought as the Kingpin. That dynamic and power struggle was lacking when Daredevil and the Punisher faced off and is completely missing from the Punisher.

    It seemed the show didn’t know who to put in the Punishers crosshairs in a meaningful way. Due to Marvel setting up his motivation as retribution for his family’s death, we see that by the guilt of Castle’s failure to protect the only thing that mattered to him, his family, he has no other motivation. Tying Castle’s past to a secret military programme as the enemy within this show made no sense until you realise that they had a hand in, you guessed it, covering up the real reasons why his family was killed.

    Ends...    … Expand
  20. rocgni161803
    Feb 21, 2019
    7
    The critics got this one wrong. This MCU adaptation surpasses Jessica Jones and Daredevil. The acting doesn't seem forced or inauthentic. Visually it looks great. And for someone unfamiliar with the story it really plays well.
  21. VirgonoShaka
    Mar 24, 2018
    7
    This show is brutal... like really brutal. Which I guess really goes well with the character that is follows. In general, I really enjoyed my time with the season, and really was hooked all the time. And all thing considered, I think is is a good show. The action is good, the acting is good to great and the story develops nicely thorough it's run time. I can't give ir more than good thoughThis show is brutal... like really brutal. Which I guess really goes well with the character that is follows. In general, I really enjoyed my time with the season, and really was hooked all the time. And all thing considered, I think is is a good show. The action is good, the acting is good to great and the story develops nicely thorough it's run time. I can't give ir more than good though mostly because while I was engaged most of the time, I really saw almost everything coming a mile away. And I believe that for all the good things done in the season, can't say I remember too much after finishing it. Good show. Recommended for fans of the character, and Marvel in general, but fair warning for those that dislike violence.… Expand
  22. Huikk4poks
    Nov 19, 2017
    7
    Punisher is back in Netflix introducing new characters and old ones from comics. Good build up for series but leaving us some wishing to season 2. To Marvel fans this is a must see but for new ones this season can be too slow.
  23. Nick_Mad
    Jan 8, 2018
    7
    It's a MARVELous series that I liked most of all this year. It has a good action scenes,cool actors,awesome operators work. And of course it has interesting story. It is a must watch for every Comics fan and especially for Punisher fans. And all other people must watch it too. But there is some minuses like awful dialogue in some scenes.
  24. DovahK
    Jul 2, 2018
    7
    Me ha gustado mucho esta primera temporada, a pesar de que al principio Jon Bernthal parezca
    un actor un poco atascado haciendo los mismos gestos, movimientos, etc que en The Walking
    Dead enseguida te olvidas y empiezas a disfrutar cada capítulo y deseando saber que pasa en
    el siguiente.
  25. iCampoRamil
    Dec 13, 2022
    7
    El personaje de Frank Castle, es decir, Jon Bernthol, es lo mejor de la serie, pero de largo, sin él nada de esto sería posible, ni la serie tendría el carisma que desborda, esa chulería con la que camina, me flipa, es super característica de él.
    La banda sonora, otro de los grandes destacados, parecía que iba a ser algún tema puntual, pero esas bases punk-rockeras me gustan, aunque    El personaje de Frank Castle, es decir, Jon Bernthol, es lo mejor de la serie, pero de largo, sin él nada de esto sería posible, ni la serie tendría el carisma que desborda, esa chulería con la que camina, me flipa, es super característica de él.
    La banda sonora, otro de los grandes destacados, parecía que iba a ser algún tema puntual, pero esas bases punk-rockeras me gustan, aunque flojean en ciertos momentos, mantiene un buen hilo por toda la serie.
    El arco argumental de Micro es lo que me hizo pegarme a la serie, a excepción de Frank, evidentemente, pero considero que esa es la mejor trama que tiene la temporada, la relación con Micro, con su mujer, etc.
    Ay, Billy Russo, se venía venir, lo pintan con esos aires chulescos, pero no chulescos como Castle, chulescos de pijo elitista, y se veía venir, no voy a spoilear el qué.
    Sí es verdad que a veces la trama se hace muy lentorra, algunos capítulos sobre todo, quizás esto de extender las series de este estilo a los 13 episodios perjudicó un poco a The Punisher, podrían haber quitado algunos capítulos para darle mayor ritmo a la narración.
    Me esperaba más del final, la verdad, solo voy a decir eso, la trama es una genialidad, pero se va apagando cuanto más se acerca al final, a pesar de que los capítulos van en ascenso todo el rato.
    Concluyendo, lo que mola de la serie es el personaje de Punisher, a parte de la actuación, que van de la mano, contando con algunos detallitos y guiños a los comics y demás. ¿Lo malo? Depende mucho narrativamente de Daredevil, si no estás en el universo y te quieres ver The Punisher individualmente, se te van a ir muchos detalles y tramas secundarias que se tratan en la serie del demonio de Hell's Kitchen. Por último, el cambio de directores entre episodios, aunque parezca que no, a simple vista, se nota bastante, por eso de que algunos episodios sobran. Pero en general, si os molan las series de crimen-acción, es una bastante buena serie.    … Expand
  26. brockcheese
    Mar 18, 2018
    6
    He does very little actual punishing. He mostly just mopes about his dead family in an arc that should have already been wrapped up in Daredevil season 2.
  27. Voodoo123
    Jan 3, 2018
    6
    There is some great material here, especially from the excellent cast. Punisher has dimension and is entertaining, but really suffers from poor pacing issues. The show delivers occasional moments of gruesome action padded with long scenes of dialogue and filler backstory for the various sub character plotlines. I strongly feel this particular batch of shows would benefit from culling 50%There is some great material here, especially from the excellent cast. Punisher has dimension and is entertaining, but really suffers from poor pacing issues. The show delivers occasional moments of gruesome action padded with long scenes of dialogue and filler backstory for the various sub character plotlines. I strongly feel this particular batch of shows would benefit from culling 50% of the side characters material into more concise 6-8 Punisher-focused action thriller episodes.

    So in the end, like daredevil, luke cage, jessica jones, iron fist and defenders, with Punisher, Marvel Television have once again disrespected the viewers time, taking the 'super' from the hero and diluting the core character identity from the colourful panels of a comic book to the now familiar 13 episode 'gritty', side character heavy reality based format (thriller/drama/soap opera - akin to sopranos/the wire).    … Expand
  28. JulianIncen
    May 5, 2019
    6
    The photography in certain parts is out of the "Marvel mold" and that is quite appreciated. In general the story is good and Jon Bernthal's performance was brutal.
  29. ComandanteCobra
    Nov 28, 2017
    6
    It looks great at first ....but soon ...frome episode 3 ....you'll be looking for something a bit better.
    The show is about the Punisher dealing with his past military life (in this tv version his background is different form what we see in the comics...moved up in time 4 example).
    Next to the main characther storyline we see four different subplots: One about Microchip (Punisher old    It looks great at first ....but soon ...frome episode 3 ....you'll be looking for something a bit better.
    The show is about the Punisher dealing with his past military life (in this tv version his background is different form what we see in the comics...moved up in time 4 example).
    Next to the main characther storyline we see four different subplots: One about Microchip (Punisher old sidekick); One about a young soldier struggling to adjust to civil life; One regarding a Homeland Security agent and the fourth about Billy Russo.
    There are too many sublots that steals a lot of screen time of the episodes, and unfortunatley the scripts of this subplots are very predictable.
    Almost every characters of this production are different from the comics book counterpart and not in a good way (particurally Jigsaw and Microchip) both in story, characterization and look.
    Action scene are scarces and often stealed from famous action movies of the 80's.
    The is almost no "Vigilante aspect" of the original work
    Most of the scene are about people speaking to cellphones.
    The main villain is very weak.
    Some unecessary fan service scene and silly jokes.
    Bernthal and Moss-Bachrach and Newman do a good job but other actors are almost without expressions.
    I liked the punisher apparition in Daredevil 2 a lot more.
    To sum up...better than Iron fist but worse than Defenders, Jessica Jones, Daredevil 1 and 2    … Expand
  30. UncutSuspiria
    Nov 20, 2017
    6
    The series is good, but painfully boring. There is absolutely no action from episodes 2 to 10. All action is in the first episode and last two, the middle is nothing but a long drawn out story. This is a huge letdown and not at all a good way to portray the Punisher, especially after his badassness in Daredevil. It is worth watching, but don't expect to watch a series with action.
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Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Most Discussed TV Season of 2017
7
#7 Most Shared TV Season of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
55

Mixed or average reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 20
  3. Negative: 2 out of 20
  1. The Atlantic
    Reviewed by: Sophie Gilbert
    Nov 20, 2017
    60
    All too often it’s a plodding slog. Bernthal’s performance somehow finds energy in Frank’s pain. ... Lightfoot’s breadth of storytelling is gratifying--he wants to do more than give the cultural landscape another killing machine to idolize. It makes The Punisher less uncomfortable to watch than it could be amid so many outbreaks of extreme gun violence. But it isn’t an easy ride.
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  2. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Lorraine Ali
    Nov 17, 2017
    50
    The show is well-written and Jon Bernthal ("The Walking Dead") is fantastic as Castle, the Afghanistan war veteran turned vigilante. ... But the story itself isn't dynamic enough to punch through all the cultural baggage this show is unfairly (or as some believe, justifiably) saddled with. It doesn't help that the burly character's superpower isn't a superpower at all. It's old-fashioned rage, coupled with special ops training.
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  3. RogerEbert.com
    Reviewed by: Allison Shoemaker
    Nov 17, 2017
    50
    Better too rich than too thin, to be sure, but “The Punisher” casts its net so wide that almost none of these stories get a fair shake. When they do, it’s usually the acting that closes the gap — Woll and Bernthal are so good together that it almost doesn’t matter that their scenes get snapped out quickly — but it’s hard to escape the feeling that, in giving us all that story, “The Punisher” doesn’t have much time for substance. It’s simultaneously too much and not enough.
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